


Wrong Turn

by Cameron_McKell



Series: Upon Further Review [38]
Category: Tron (Movies), Tron - All Media Types, Tron: Evolution, Tron: Legacy (2010)
Genre: Bits, Gen, Implied Past Animal Mistreatment, Non-Human Humanoid Society, Non-Human Humanoids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 17:18:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2076450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cameron_McKell/pseuds/Cameron_McKell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Counterpart to "Brevity".  Meanwhile on the Grid, Sam and Anon get a little lost, and need some guidance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrong Turn

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: "Sam meets the grid equivalent of a pet?"

 “Right, so... Looks like our next stop is Phi Sector, section... _minus_ _four_?”

 

Sam stared at the screen in his hands quizzically, then looked at his big, silent shadow. Anon looked back at him for a moment, then to the screen, then shrugged helplessly.

 

“You don't know where it is, either?” Sam paused while Anon nodded in confirmation. What a day for Tron to be working with Alan in the User world. “Great. Just a second, and I'll put in a query.”

 

Pacing a short distance away as he typed – the remnants of keeping people from reading over his shoulder when working on sensitive or questionably legal data – Sam didn't notice any changes until a soft, strangely flat voice spoke up.

 

“Yes?”

 

He whirled around, nearly dropping his screen in the process, initially assuming that Anon had somehow managed to speak, but no. Instead, there was a pale blue multifaceted shape, about the size of a volley ball, floating unsteadily over the security monitor's hands. It looked familiar, but it took a couple minutes of wracking his brain for old memories before Sam could place it.

 

“Is that a Bit?”

 

“Yes!” It chirped happily in reply, then wobbled over to orbit his head twice. Sam craned his neck around to follow it as far as he could, then turned quickly to catch it floating around his other side. After lap two, though, it started to look more gray than blue, and drifted back to Anon's hands with a soft 'thunk'.

 

“Careful there, little guy,” Sam murmured softly, automatically switching into the tone of voice he'd used when he'd first seen Marv at the shelter, cast aside for no better reason than he was no longer purse-sized. “You okay?”

 

He had a soft spot for small things that seemed to be in distress.

 

“Yes,” the Bit replied tiredly, shifting to an octohedronal shape but continuing to lay across Anon's hands. The longer it rested there, the more color it regained, but instead of the 'yes' shape taking on a golden color, it went back to the same pale blue from before.

 

More or less stumped by this new development, Sam turned his attention back to Anon, briefly debating how to ask his question to a program that couldn't talk, before giving up and asking anyway. “What's it doing here?”

 

Anon's helmet tilted toward him thoughtfully for several long moments, then just looked away.

 

Sam's screen pinged.

 

Sam turned away to check over the screen, and the new text notice that had popped up, origin '00ANON-7'. The further he read in the message, the bigger the grin grew on his face. Once he'd finished reading, Sam looked at Anon and waved the screen about aimlessly. “This was you?”

 

Anon nodded, and Sam laughed.

 

“Smart thinking, man,” he replied, then collapsed the screen and tucked it away. With his hands now completely free, he made a few 'can I pet it?' motions toward the Bit. “Can I, uh...?”

 

He got the vague impression that Anon was laughing at him, but he still nodded.

 

“Awesome,” he enthused, then let his first two fingers lightly drag over the smooth planes of the Bit's surface. There was a sort of tugging sensation, so Sam fed the little Bit a User-power pick me up. Infused with new energy, the Bit pushed itself up, free of their hands, and shifted back into neutral shape with a jaunty twirl.

 

“So, Bit?” Sam asked, amused.

 

“Yes?” It replied, shifting shape smoothly now.

 

“Can you show us the way to Phi Sector, section minus four?”

 

“Yes!” It bobbed in place excitedly, then floated off ahead of them, flashing little, encouraging 'yes' shapes along the way.

 

Sam and Anon shared a look, before running to catch up.


End file.
